HRW urges India to release detainees in Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: A global rights body has called on the Indian government to immediately release detained people in occupied Kashmir.

“Indian authorities should immediately release detained Kashmiris who have not been charged with a recognizable offense,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement.

It said that “nearly 4,000 people, including supporters of political parties, separatist leaders, lawyers, journalists” have reportedly been detained in Jammu and Kashmir since Aug. 5 when the government scrapped the special status of the Muslim-majority region, Kashmir Media Service (KMS) reported.

“There have been serious allegations of torture and beatings. Many detainees have not been allowed to contact their families or lawyers,” the statement read.

The New York-based rights group underlined that the authorities “in many cases detained people or placed them under house arrest without providing a legal basis.”